Daniel Carter was born in the sage brush of Idaho and learned to love the unlikely combination of country western music and Caruso’s opera recordings as a young boy. At the age of five, an accident cut off a third of his right index finger. Undeterred, he happily composed his own melodies on any keyboard he came across, since his family didn’t own a piano until he was about 10 years old. His teen years were filled with whatever was playing on the radio and a few false starts at piano lessons. By the time he was a junior in high school, he composed pieces in the style of major composers and decided it was time to get serious about learning piano skills and reading music. Money for lessons was scarce, but his family sacrificed so that he could study. Though he struggled greatly to catch up to university level piano skills, which nearly prevented him from being accepted into the music program, his composition abilities helped him find favor with a few faculty members who mentored him.

Daniel advocates and supports mental health awareness and education, particularly for the homeless. He is also a strong advocate for music education. Numerous studies prove that consistent music lessons improve academic excellence. Those who study music statistically rank better than their peers who do not. Daniel insisted that his two children study music for a minimum of two years, which met some resistance. In moments of frustration he said, "You can thank me when you're 40." (And they have. Ahead of schedule.) Now, happily, there are grand children to teach.

Daniel lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Accomplishments:

• Daniel helped to develop the international sheet music publishing system for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As the Church's sheet music publisher, he edited and published over 100,000 pages of music in over 145 languages from 1989–2016.

• Come unto Him, composed by Daniel, has been performed by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir since February of 1992, and was recorded and released on their "This Is the Christ" CD. It soared to #1 status on Billboard's Classical 100 the first week of its release in June of 2011.

• Over 500 of his compositions are published and available in sheet music.

• His theatrical works have been performed at Sundance Outdoor Theater, public schools, and schools of higher learning.

• Three of his compositions, a hymn (As Now we Take the Sacrament), and two children's songs (A Young Man Prepared, and The Shepherd's Carol), have sold hundreds of millions of copies in approximately four dozen languages since their publication by the LDS Church in the late 1980's.

• Artaban, the Other Wise Man, begun over 20 years ago, continues to expand to new areas produced for the sole purpose of raising money for local charities that serve the homeless with housing, education, food, and medical needs. The goal is to have numerous performances throughout the world to raise money for homeless charities to serve local populations. For more information, click here.